NEWS ARCHIVE

Advertisement

Dr. Teresa Diaz-Montes on ovarian cancer

There are more than 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer and more than 14,000 deaths. Dr. Teresa Diaz-Montes, associate director of the Lya Segall Ovarian Cancer Institute at Mercy Medical Center, explains.

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 11:24 AM EDT Apr 23, 2015

Dr. Teresa Diaz-Montes on ovarian cancer

There are more than 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer and more than 14,000 deaths. Dr. Teresa Diaz-Montes, associate director of the Lya Segall Ovarian Cancer Institute at Mercy Medical Center, explains.

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 11:24 AM EDT Apr 23, 2015

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT LISA: THERE ARE MORE THAN 22000 AND CASES ORDINARY CANCER AND MORE THAN 14,000 DEATHS. DR. TERESA DIAZ-MONTES IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE LYA SEGALL OVARIAN CANCER INSTITUTE AT MERCY. THANK YOU FOR COMING IN. WE HAVE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE TAKING PREVENTATIVE MEASURES. ONE OF OUR FAVORITE ACTRESSES HAS TAKEN SOME PROACTIVE SURGERIES. IS THAT THE RIGHT WAY TO GO? DR. DIAZ-MONTES: THAT IS A VERY WELL-KNOWN CASE BECAUSE OF THE PERSON INVOLVED. IT DEPENDS. IN HER PARTICULAR SITUATION, IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO BECAUSE SHE HAD A VERY STRONG FAMILY HISTORY. HER MOM DIED OF OVARIAN CANCER AT A YOUNG AGE, OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AFFECTED. AND SHE ALSO CARRIED A GENE. BASED ON WHAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO READ, SHE HAD RANKINGS COME UP ON A TEST, AND IN HER SITUATION, IT WOULD BE RIGHT. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE BRAC GENES. TWO GENES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF OVARIAN AND BREAST CANCER. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL GET THE CANCER, BUT HIGHER RISK THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION. LISA: OVARIAN CANCER, WE ARE SEEING IT IN YOUNGER AND YOUNGER WOMEN THESE DAYS? DR. DIAZ-MONTES: NOT NECESSARILY. THE DISTRIBUTION IS USUALLY IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, USUALLY AFTER THE AGE OF 60. IN GENERAL, CANCER DOES NOT FOLLOW ANY AGE. YOU CAN DEVELOP IT AT ANY AGE, ON ORCHARD LEE, BUT WHEN WE SEE A PATTERN OF YOUNGER WOMEN DEVELOPING OVARIAN CANCER, IT WOULD RING A BELL THAT MAYBE THERE COULD BE SOME FAMILY PREDISPOSITION, OR THAT THIS WOMAN COULD BE CLEARING -- CARRYING A GENE. LISA: SOME WOMEN NEED TO TALK TO THERE. FAMILY MEMBERS. WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS TO ASK? SOMETIMES IT IS NOT CLEAR WHAT SOMEBODY DIE FROM. DR. DIAZ-MONTES: UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS CORRECT. THERE IS A LOT OF TABOO WHEN PEOPLE DIE -- IN THE PAST, PEOPLE WOULD NOT DESCRIBE WHAT THAT FAMILY MEMBER DIED OF, NOBODY WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IT. I ENCOURAGE PATIENTS TO CHECK ON THEIR FAMILY AND ASK THEM, DID SOMEBODY DIE OF A DISEASE, PARTICULARLY OF CANCER, WHAT TYPE OF CANCER, WHAT AGE DID THEY DIE? SOMETIMES WE ASSUME IF SOMEBODY DIED OF CANCER, NOT NECESSARILY THAT, BUT SOMETIMES WE DO NOT HAVE RECORDS TO CHECK. IF WE WANT TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT OUR OWN HEALTH, WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE AROUND US. NOT JUST THE IMMEDIATE GENERATION, BUT OLDER GENERATIONS AS WELL. LISA: WHAT ABOUT SYMPTOMS, ARE THERE ANY SYMPTOMS TO OVARIAN CANCER? DR. DIAZ-MONTES: THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. THE SYMPTOMS ARE VERY NONSPECIFIC. THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME WHEN PATIENTS COME TO SEE ME THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN SEEN BY MULTIPLE DOCTORS. THERE IS A MYTH THAT WE THINK THAT PEOPLE HAVE SYMPTOMS BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY ADVANCED AND THAT IS NOT TRUE. EVEN EARLY STAGES, THEY CAN DEVELOP SYMPTOMS. SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER THAT ARE NOT SPECIFIC INCLUDE INDIGESTION, THEY KNOW IS THERE BOWEL PATTERNS START TO CHANGE, MORE CONSTIPATION OR DIARRHEA, WHEN THEY START EATING, THEY FEEL FULL VERY QUICKLY, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, OR EVEN THAT THEIR THREAT -- THROAT FEELS TIGHTER. LISA: THOSE COULD BE ANY TYPE OF THING. DR. DIAZ-MONTES: THAT IS WHY THESE ARE NONSPECIFIC SYMPTOMS. THAT IS WHY A LOT OF PATIENCE, WHEN THEY ARE FINALLY DIAGNOSED, THEY HAVE BEEN SEEN BY THEIR PRIMARY DOCTOR, GASTROENTEROLOGIST, METEOROLOGIST. THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN SEEN BY DIFFERENT PROFESSIONALS BECAUSE THE SYMPTOMS ARE NOT SPECIFIC, IT IS VERY HARD TO PINPOINT AND THINK THIS COULD BE A POSSIBILITY. LISA: DOES THE ANNUAL EXAM OR THE PAP SMEAR DETECTS THAT? DR. DIAZ-MONTES: IT DOES NOT. THE MAIN REASON FOR THE PAP SMEAR IS TO SCREEN FOR CERVICAL CANCER. IT IS VERY RARE TO PICK UP A VERY CANCER IN A CAP SMEAR. IT CAN HAPPEN, BUT IT IS NOT THE NORM. HAVING THE ANNUAL PAP SMEAR DOES NOT MEAN THAT THERE IS NOTHING AND YOU ARE OK. LISA: WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS OUT THERE? DR. DIAZ-MONTES: FOUR OVARIAN CANCER, SURGERY. -- FOR OVARIAN CANCER, SURGERY. IN THAT SURGERY, WE REMOVE ALL OF THE TUMOR CELLS. THIS IS A COMPLICATED SURGERY AND SHOULD BE DONE BY SOMEONE WHO IS WELL-TRAINED. LISA: WHY IS IT SO COMPLEX? DR. DIAZ-MONTES: BECAUSE WE HAVE TO REMOVE EVERY VISIBLE PIECE OF TUMOR IN ORDER FOR THE CHEMO TO BE EFFECTIVE. IT IS A LONG PROCESS. THEN AFTERWARDS, THEY NEED TO GET IN WITH THERAPY -- CHEMOTHERAPY. USUALLY, IT IS A COMBINATION OF SURGERY AND CHEMOTHERAPY. LISA: WHAT IS THE SURVIVAL RATE? DR. DIAZ-MONTES: FOUR ADVANCED STAGE OF RETURN CANCER, NOT GREAT. USUALLY SURVIVAL RATES ARE IN THE 60% AFTER FIVE YEARS, BUT THE REALITY IS, A LOT OF WOMEN WHO ARE DIAGNOSED WILL EVENTUALLY REOCCUR. THERE ARE SOME OPTIONS AFTER THEY REOCCUR, EVEN AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY, THAT HAVE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE AND ARE ABLE TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. LISA: I GUESS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR WOMEN WHO ARE CONCERNED, BEFORE YOU GET TO THAT STAGE, IS TO FIND OUT YOUR FAMILY HISTORY. DR. DIAZ-MONTES: UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY SCREENING METHODS AT THIS TIME WHERE WE CAN DETECT OVARIAN CANCER EARLIER. I DON'T KNOW IF SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE IN TERMS OF EARLY DETECTION, BUT IT IS MOSTLY US BEING ADVOCATES. IF WE KNOW OUR FAMILY HISTORY, MENTION IT TO YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR, SO THEY ARE AWARE. AS WELL, PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THESE SYMPTOMS COULD SUGGEST OVARIAN CANCER AND COULD REFER YOU EARLY. LISA:

Dr. Teresa Diaz-Montes on ovarian cancer

There are more than 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer and more than 14,000 deaths. Dr. Teresa Diaz-Montes, associate director of the Lya Segall Ovarian Cancer Institute at Mercy Medical Center, explains.